In view of the severe water shortage reported in various parts of the State, the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board on Tuesday advised the general public to use water sparingly. The board also offered to provide technical support to make use of the rainwater harvesting systems across the State.
A total of 556 integrated drinking water projects were being implemented by the TWAD and through them about 4.23 crore people benefited across the State. These projects have been designed to supply about 2,146 million litre drinking water to the general public daily, TWAD Managing Director C.N. Maheswaran said in a statement.
"Presently, water supply to the tune of 1,856 million litre (86% of the total capacity) is being supplied due to 69% shortfall in the rainfall across Tamil Nadu,” he said. A total of 258 special committees have been constituted and were functioning to ensure that the water reached the intended destinations.
Daily review meetings by regional TWAD officers were being undertaken to ensure that all intended areas receive their share of drinking water, he stated.
Steps have also been taken to address complaints such as leakage of drinking water from broken pipes and technical snags in electric motors. These complaints were being attended to periodically, he added. Officers were being sent to different spots every week to ensure that the supply remained uninterrupted.
In case of any issue over the supply of drinking water, complaints could be addressed to the grievance redressal cell at the TWAD head office or by calling 9445802145. The services of the Water Testing Lab in every district would be used for testing the quality of the water being supplied, he said.
Between January and May this year, Tamil Nadu received a rainfall of 34 mm against the expected rainfall of 108 mm, which was 69% short of the expectation, he pointed out.